All That's Best of Dark and Bright
by Epiphany
Summary: Takes place approximately one week after “Smashed”. Spike has been incommunicado, and Buffy is pretending not to worry. What she and the Scooby’s discover is beyond anything they’ve ever encountered.


1 I'm not worried. Buffy told herself as she purposely strode through the graveyard. It occurred to her that she shouldn't make a bee-line straight for Spike's Crypt, just in case some of the smarter vamps knew enough to stay out of her way and keep an eye on her instead. It's been over a week since.that night. Just because I haven't seen him since does not mean I'm worried. She tried to convince herself as she took a path which led across the cemetery. She would double back in five minutes to surprise any would- be smartie vamps. Face it, he got what he wanted and now he's moving on. You knew that's how it would be. You used him, Buffy. Not the other way around. She laughed derisively as she circled the fountain in the center of the graveyard.  
  
As much as she wanted to trust her inner voice, her instincts were telling her that something was wrong. It wasn't like Spike to disappear for any length of time.  
  
"Well, it's not like he's lost his soul," she muttered darkly as she headed back the way she came. There weren't even any vampires out to distract her tonight, the undead creatures seemed to have decided to take the night off, leaving the Slayer to her thoughts.  
  
She arrived at Spike's Crypt and pushed the door open. She had to admit that deep inside, she felt a little guilty for never knocking. Her mother simply didn't raise her that way. The fact that she was barging in on Spike made up for that twang, but lately she found herself hesitating before she entered. As though the part of her that was still determined to label Spike a demon and not a man took over, refusing her to feel bad about being rude to a vampire.  
  
"Spike?" Buffy called out though the open door. No answer. She pushed the door open further to reveal the upper level of the crypt. He was nowhere to be seen in the living room area. It was dark and quiet, the only lights source emanated from the opening to the lower level. The dim yellow light cast dark shadows throughout the upper level of the crypt. Buffy wrapped her arms around midsection. The temperature in the crypt was easily ten degrees cooler than the relative warmth of the night outside, even with the leather jacket she wore, the chill penetrated.  
  
Buffy stood still and looked around, trying to ward off the wave of apprehension she felt. Sensing no movement, she cautiously walked towards the opening in the floor which led to the second level. "Spike?" Buffy called down. She heard the whisper of cloth, and the telltale sound of a body shifting underneath a set of sheets.  
  
"Ssslayer," the roughed voice floated out. Buffy sprang down the tunnel, landing lightly on her feet. The room was lit by several candles, casting just enough light for her to see Spike's prone body under the sheets on his bed.  
  
"You didn't call, didn't write, didn't follow me around.gee, Spike. You stalk me, obsess over me, chain me up and profess your love," Buffy crossed her arms and walked over to the bed. Spike didn't move. "You finally get what you want and then you just disappear? If that's all it took to get rid of you, I'd have slept with you years ago." She was standing three feet from the foot of the bed, waiting for Spike's response.  
  
"Go away," he rasped, still unmoving.  
  
"Hey," she said softly, suddenly concerned. She walked to the side of the bed and knelt down. He was under the sheets, curled up on his side, shivering. Buffy reached a hand and traced the line of his brow. Her fingers came back damp with sweat.  
  
"My god," she said under her breath. "Spike?" she shook him gently.  
  
"What will it take to make you go away?" he asked angrily, flinching back from her touch.  
  
"What the hell happened to you?" fear etched into her voice. She shook him again. "Spike!"  
  
Spike sat up and threw the sheets off his body. His exposed torso gleamed dimly in the candle light. "Oh, bloody hell, Slayer. I'm not feeling tip top these days, alright? I'm a big boy and can take care of myself, so would you kindly sod off?" he glared at her, eyes bright with fever.  
  
"Since when do vampires get sick?" Buffy questioned.  
  
"Must've been something I ate," he said under his breath as he settled back into the pillows, his meaning clear.  
  
"You're a pig, Spike."  
  
"Look, if you've come here to yell at me to make yourself feel better, then knock yourself out. I'm going back to sleep." He looked at her, watching the emotions play across her face.  
  
"How long have you been sick?" she asked quietly. She sat down on the edge of the bed and absently began to arrange the sheets around his body.  
  
"Dunno.a couple weeks, maybe. Just get tired out and I sleep. This hot and cold feeling is new, though. Icy chills in my spine, and then I feel like I'm on fire." He said thoughtfully. He reached out and took her hand. Buffy jumped at the touch but didn't let go. His hand felt...warm. "One extreme or the other.fire an' ice.sugar or spice.pain or pleasure.it's all in there, dancing around." he trailed off.  
  
"You have a fever, Spike." Buffy said gently. She squeezed his hand. "I've never heard of a vampire getting sick, unless it's poison or something. Have you done anything different lately? Get blood from a bad butcher maybe?" she asked hopefully.  
  
"Haven't eaten in a few days, and the only thing I've done differently is shag you in person instead of my dreams." He said it without malice, merely as a statement of fact.  
  
"So, you think you're allergic to me?" she asked weakly.  
  
"No, love, this started before that.before us." he trailed off again, this time dropping off into a fitful sleep. His hand slackened from her grip. Buffy gently pulled her hand free and stood, her thoughts whirling. She went into the bathroom to dampen a face cloth. She was surprised to discover that she was relieved to hear this started before they.a flash of memory overtook her, of Spike's intent face as he looked into her eyes that night. She shook her head and squeezed out the excess water from the towel, forcing her thoughts elsewhere.  
  
Angel was sick once, when Faith poisoned him with the crossbow arrow. She'd be damned if she let Spike drink her blood to save his sorry ass. She'd sooner break into prison and kidnap Faith than let his lips anywhere near her blood.  
  
Buffy walked back into the bed chamber. Spike still moved fitfully in sleep, his breath coming in ragged, shallow gulps. Buffy frowned. Since when did Spike breathe? She wondered.  
  
She knelt by the bed and reached over to smooth the cool cloth over his fevered brow. Spike's eyes snapped open, panicked for a moment. When he realized who it was, he relaxed. "Still here?" he muttered.  
  
"I've only been here for like five minutes, Spike." Buffy told him as she worked the cloth over his face.  
  
"Seemed longer.I dreamed.thought it was longer." He murmured. "Buffy.Slayer.what's happening to me?" his voice took on a slightly panicked edge. "Am I dying? I can't die yet.again.not after last week. You an' me.it was everything I had hoped for, Buffy, an' it's just a start." Spike's eyes went unfocused again, shining softly. "and I want to." he trailed off again.  
  
Buffy's eyes misted over. "Me too," she whispered. She leaned forward and dropped a kiss on his cheek, one of her tears slid down and landed on Spike's forehead, mixing with his fevered sweat. "I need to talk to Willow.I'll be back as soon as I can," she whispered as she stood up.  
  
"Love you, pet," Spike mumbled in sleep as she walked away. Buffy smiled, not saying anything as she rose to the upper level of the crypt.  
  
***  
  
"And he was really sick, all pale and sweaty?" Willow asked as Buffy paced the living room.  
  
"Yeah, an honest to god fever. He said he'd been feeling like this for a few weeks, so I'm thinking maybe it's a slow acting poison, or maybe some magical hex or something?" Buffy was rambling. She whirled on Willow. "He does have a few enemies from the demon world.that Loan Shark guy, some of the local vampires, the fashion police have been after his undead ass for decades.and I know a few demons that hang out at Willie's place aren't overly fond of him. Come to think of it, I don't know anyone who is overly fond of him." Buffy frowned.  
  
Willow watched her friend, a bemused smile on her face. "Worried much?" she asked.  
  
Buffy stopped pacing and stared at her friend. She sat down on the couch next to her, utterly defeated. "Yeah, Will, I am. I mean.he's a pain in the ass most of the time, and I've spent more time hating him than liking him, but.I can't overlook what he did for Dawn and me," she paused and smiled. "Mom kinda liked him, too. I figure I owe this to him."  
  
Willow smiled and laid a reassuring hand on Buffy's arm. "Remember that spell you did when we thought Glory was attacking your Mom through magic?" Buffy nodded. It was a surreal experience, seeing her house, her mother through magically enhanced eyes. It took a lot of energy out of her, but she remembered the feeling of power coursing through her body as the spell took hold. It was intoxicating, and she could easily see how Willow wanted more of it.  
  
Buffy inhaled and looked at her friend. "If you refresh my memory, I can do it again and see if Spike is being attacked magically."  
  
"Oh, no, Buffy. I can do it in a cinch, and much faster. All I need are a few ingredients from the shop." Willow smiled reassuringly at her best friend. "Or, or maybe Amy could do it." She said when she saw the fleeting look of apprehension in Buffy's eyes. Her aura wavered, too. That was a trick Amy taught her, and she decided not to share it with her friends. It was like having her own little lie detector.  
  
Buffy looked down at her hands. "Willow, no. I really need you to be research girl on this. You know how bad I am at that.and I've done the spell before, so it's not like I'm going into this blind." Buffy hoped that Willow would accept that explanation. "And Amy's visiting her Dad.I wouldn't want to disturb her, and she might not understand about Spike."  
  
"Oh, well then.okay," Willow said with a little disappointment. "I'll get the book you'll need and then we can swing by the Magic Shop. Anya gave me a key, and said I could take any ingredients I needed as long as I left money and an explanation in the register."  
  
Buffy felt a twinge of guilt as her friend went upstairs. That wasn't the real reason why Buffy didn't want her to do the spell. Willow was just using too much magic. It was the reason Tara left and a topic of growing concern amongst the remaining Scoobies. Buffy followed Willow a moment later, heading towards Dawn's room.  
  
"Dawnie?" Buffy called through the door as she knocked. It was a little after 10PM, but Dawn was seated at her small desk, finishing some homework.  
  
"I have one more problem, and then I'm off to bed, I promise." Dawn said without looking up.  
  
Buffy sat down on Dawn's bed. "Dawn, there's something we need to talk about."  
  
Dawn turned away from her book. She was wondering when Buffy was going to corner her for a talk. So many things had happened recently. The singing demon, for example - well, that was Xander's fault. He performed the spell. All she did was steal the necklace. And then there was Tara's departure. Dawn still felt broken up inside over that, like her family was being torn apart.again.  
  
"What's up? You look like you're trying to figure out how to tell me that the dog has died, but since we don't have a dog, I guess that's not it, right?" Dawn asked hopefully. "Am I in trouble?" Dawn asked when Buffy didn't answer.  
  
"No, Dawn. Nothing like that.I just wanted to let you know.keep you in the loop since you're so insistent on things like that." Buffy smiled faintly at her little sister, absently wondering what Giles would do in this situation. "Dawn, Spike is sick. We don't know what's wrong, or why."  
  
Dawn jumped up from her chair and crossed the room to sit next to Buffy on the bed. "Oh! Spike? No! How can he be sick? He's a vampire. How sick is he? Is he going to die?" Dawn's eyes filled with tears. "Buffy.Spike, he's.family, you know? He took care of me when you were gone."  
  
Buffy pulled Dawn close and wrapped her arms about her sobbing sister. "Shh. I know. He has a fever and hasn't eaten in a few days. We'll take care of him, Dawn. I promise." She loosened her grip and looked into Dawn's bleary blue eyes. "Willow is going to show me how to do a spell to see if someone is attacking him magically."  
  
"I remember that one.freaked me out." Dawn rolled her eyes. "You went all Sybil on me."  
  
"It scared me too, Dawn, but at least it didn't take long for us to figure out why I couldn't see you in the spell, and we know that the spell works." Buffy reassured Dawn. She stood up.  
  
"Can I help?" Dawn asked, knowing Buffy was going to turn her down.  
  
"Yes. You can be research girl with Willow tomorrow after school. Dawn," Dawn brightened. Buffy hesitated. "You've seen Willow use magic, right?"  
  
A worry line appeared on Dawn's brow. "Yeah, like a lot. She doesn't even wash the dishes herself. It really creepy sometimes." Dawn shivered.  
  
Buffy nodded. "We're all thinking the same thing, Dawnie, and that's part of the reason I want you to be research girl tomorrow - to keep an eye on her."  
  
"Oh, so I'm not really research girl, I'm double agent spy girl. Can I have a code name?" Dawn asked hopefully.  
  
"Other than the one we use when you're not around?" Buffy sneered. "Finish your homework and get to bed. Willow and I are going to the shop for some ingredients.  
  
Willow will be back in about an hour, and I'm going to Spike's to try the spell. Hopefully tomorrow we'll have some answers."  
  
"Buffy, can I go see Spike tomorrow?" Dawn asked in a quiet voice. "He took care of me, and I feel like I need to take care of him, too. You know?"  
  
Buffy crossed the room and turned to face her sister. "I know. I'll take you to see him tomorrow."  
  
***  
  
End Part One 


End file.
